Persona 4: Full-course Celebration or Catastrophe?
by putandari
Summary: "When I grow up, I'm gonna marry you, Big Bro!"half yelling, Nanako says to her cousin who's leaving town.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_It's spring.._

_The winter is gone.._

_There's a sense of promise in the air.._

"It's spring all arooound..."a pretty young woman sings along with the music currently playing on her phone's playlist. "Listen if you daaaree..."

_It's spring.._

Yes it is. Yumi Kawamura is right, it is spring outside. The young woman looks through the window in front of her while washing dishes and sees few petals of cherry blossoms flying together with the wind. A smile forms on her face, still singing along 'More Than One Heart' occasionally tapping her foot on the wooden floor following the beat. It is a joyous morning for her and is going to get more and more joyful the following days, or so she hopes.

"Nanako, I'll be home late again tonight."a middle-aged man comes out of his bedroom. He is wearing his usual shirt, loose tie, and trousers. A blazer may perfect his appearance but he decided to just hang it over his shoulder.

"Okay, Dad."the woman whom he called Nanako, turns around and nods. "No dinner then?"

"No...sorry. I know I said I'll—"

"Daaadd."Nanako gives him a 'look'. "How many times is it now? I told you it's okay, didn't I? I'm not a child anymore. I'm not gonna pout and cry if you're late."she giggles a little.

"Ahaha..."the man scratches his head chuckling shyly. "Sorry, guess I'm..."he looks over his daughter's figure standing by the sink. Often still he sees her as his little girl who always sings a certain commercial song whenever it came up on TV, the little girl who would show her upset face if he came home way past her bedtime, the little girl who was very clingy to her cousin whom she calls 'Big Bro', and instead of that loose long brown hair waving past her shoulder, the little girl whose hair was pigtailed below her ears. "I'm still not used to seeing you all grown-up like this..."he continues shaking his head. Nanako only smiles at hearing what his father said. "And soon will become someone else's girl."he says looking a little unhappy of the fact he just stated. Putting down the last dish on the dry rack Nanako smiles.

"Dad, I thought you were relieved that it's Big Br—I mean Yu-san who's marrying me?"she walks around the dinner table putting the chairs back under it since they both just had breakfast.

"I am, Nanako. I am. It's just... I don't know."he seems to be having oral difficulties. "Maybe it's...a parent thing that doesn't want to let their kids go?". Nanako giggles. She takes off her pink hair band to give her hair some air then walks toward her silly father and hugs him.

"I'm still your girl, Dad. Whatever it is."she pulls away slightly. "And...it's still a few weeks away though. You still have full-claim on me."Nanako smiles a lot this morning. She is surely very happy with how things are going. Yasogami High's graduation was last month and she gave a very touching and confident valedictorian speech on the podium. Also at the same time her application on musical studies at a prestigious university was accepted. She did waver a little to the fact that she will have to leave her hometown for it, but her father successfully encouraged her. And in few weeks, she's going to get married. Perfect, isn't it? Bright and happy future ahead of her.

Or is it though?

* * *

**Coming soon on CHAPTER 1...**

Will this celebration...or...catastrophe attracts only Nanako? Or somebody else?


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Nanako is combing her hair in her bedroom getting ready for today's activity. She has an appointment with a dressmaker somewhere in town to do a final-fitting of her wedding gown. Imagining the dress, she can't help but smile, almost giggling a little. Her favorite maroon bag hangs on a fixture beside the wardrobe which she grabs it and looks at herself once more in the mirror.

"Hmm alright, ready to go."she spins form side-to-side, her lacey skirt frilling, when her phone rings. The screen shows her best friend's name and she quickly answers. "Sakura-chan, hi. Are you ready yet?"

["I am. What about you? I'm on my way to the bus stop."] Sakura's cheerful voice sounds from the other line.

"Okay, me too. Meet you there."

["Got it."] Nanako hangs up then scurries out the house toward the bus stop. When she arrives, she sees no sign of Sakura, although she is supposed to be there earlier. Sighing, Nanako stands by the pole when suddenly someone hugs her from behind.

"Ack!"startled, Nanako spins around ready to defend herself from the pre-empetive attack.

"There you are! Who's the bride-to-be?". Nanako almost smacks the person but carefully retreats when she sees a cute face beaming at her.

"Sakura! You scared me! I almost hit you."

"Haha, yeah I thought so. You looked like a sharp murderer there for a second."Sakura laughs letting go of her best friend through high school but one arm snakes along her neck hugging like a bro-to-bro. "Sooo...how are you feeling?"

"About what?

"The wedding!"

"It's...still a long way."Nanako looks down blushing.

"Seriously? It's in two weeks! It's practically here already."

"No it's not. Don't make me even more nervous..."

"I'm just looking forward to look at Ren's face, heheh."Sakura has a mischievous grin on her face.

"Ren-kun..? Why?"oblivious, she asks.

"Wha-really? You don't know?". Question marks are all over Nanako's head. "Ohh man, this is gonna be good.". With that the bus they're getting on finally arrives.

"What's with Ren-kun?"stepping up inside the bus Nanako keeps asking. "What are you talking about?"

"Haha, you'll see Nanako, you'll see."Sakura only pats her back then finds themselves some seats.

;

_Beep..Beep..Beep..Beep.._

The beeping sound from the coffee-maker starts getting through his ears that are covered by his messy grey hair. He grunts, lifting up his head from the table and the stimulating fragrance of fresh coffee touches his nose. He sits up on the barstool, stretching his muscle. Walking across the counter, he pours himself the oh-so-good-smelling coffee in a mug while taking a peek at the clock on the wall that shows 10 sharp. He sips carefully then lets out a satisfied sigh.

"...I'm in heaven."he stares at the ripples on the dark liquid's surface gratefully. His 9 lives are returning to him as he thought that he lost them all doing an all-nighter. The wide monitor on his work desk still showing detailed and complex lines of what seems to be a large building. He sips his coffee once more and steps toward his desk. Crouching a little, he touches a few buttons on the screen and the screen fades to pitch black along with the power going off. "All that's left is to print them."he sips again heading to his minimalist bedroom, as how his whole apartment is designed. It feels like living in a hundred-thousand yen worth. Oh wait, it DOES worth a hundred-thousand yen. Leaving his mug on a small table he slides his bathroom door and looks at his reflection on the wide pristine mirror. He sees a usual face he has been seeing for 28 years. Only this time his hair is a lot messier. "That look is awful."he tells his 'other self'. The running water from the tap is warm enough, he splashes them to his face and turns toward the shower. Feeling quite freshened, he exits the bathroom draping a towel around his waist when his phone pops up a message notification. He picks it up while his other arm drying his hair with a thin towel. "Nanako...? Wonder what's up."he presses open the message and it shows a picture of his fiancee posing in a sleek and beautiful peach-colored dress, her brown hair thrown all the way to one shoulder showing her other side bare. Everything seems to stop that instant his eyes and mind focusing on her figure. He catches her shy smile partly-hidden beside her hair. The picture is captioned 'What do you think, Yu-san?' under it. Beautiful, gorgeous, spectacular, excellent. He only needs to reply one word at least, but his fingers are frozen. After typing a short and simple reply without realizing his towel dropping to the floor, he sets the picture as a background image on his phone.

;

Yu's reply finally reaches Nanako's phone and she eagerly opens it.

"Well well? What does he say?"Sakura peeked form behind her shoulder.

"Umm... 'Can't wait'?"Nanako says reading the text.

"Huh? That's it? Tch, MEN."she grimaces then turns around.

"Maybe it means that...he can't wait to see me really wearing the dress on the wedding day."

"If you say so.". Nanako sighs and puts the phone back in her bag. She looks once again at the mirror spinning left and right and she smiles to herself.

"I hope everything goes well.". A staff permits herself inside the changing room carrying a hanger draped with large plastic.

"Does the dress fit nicely?"the woman staff asks politely.

"Yes, it's perfect. I love the color."Nanako faces her holding the lower part of the dress like a princess.

"The color fits you perfectly, Dojima-san."

"Yeah, I think so too. You could say it's 'your' color."Sakura says cheerfully.

"Then it's settled.". The staff leaves the plastic hanger on a couch and walks outside the room giving time to Nanako to change back to her clothes.

"Alright! Now, to Amagi Inn!"Sakura makes a superhero stance ready to burst the door open.

"Wait! I'm still not wearing anything!"Nanako yells and slips to her blouse and skirt hurriedly.

;

A brown-haired man plops down in his chair with a sigh. He throws back his head inhaling and exhaling deeply enjoying his time alone in his office. Managing a superstore should be a piece of cake, he thought, after watching over the previous manager. But no, not really. At least not exactly like what he hoped it will be.

"Ahh man, so tired..."he rests both his arms, swerving the chair left and right. Stopping just right when he faced the glass window looking over the town's skyline. In a small town like that, the store he's managing is practically the center of the town. It has undergone major renovation throughout the years since his late father was assigned to manage it. He still remembers how he never wished to be involved in any business-related stuff but also how moving away from the big city as a high-school student changed him. Everything that happened that time, the experiences, events, people he has come to know very well, and...'other' things. It all comes back to him, making him thinks how much this town, Inaba, has done him a great deal of favor. That feeling led him wanting to give something back somehow. And what could be better than helping the town prospering? In a few aspects, that is. He is not almighty god, though he did defeat one. He was always ended up helping his father out at the store and catches glimpses of how he'd done things around. Kind of a field-study, direct and spot-on. So despite still feeling half-hearted, he was determined to follow on his father's footsteps and pursue business management which led him to this day. "This is the least I could do... I hope you're proud of me, Dad."he mumbles to himself closing his eyes. Suddenly he hears knocking on the door and a man in glasses enters carrying folders of documents in his arm.

"Excuse me, Sir. Here's the stocks report you asked."the thin young man puts the folders on the desk bowing a little.

"Ah yes, thanks. Make all the essential preparation for the following days. We need a lot more with the Golden Week approaching and all that."he says, flipping over the papers. "And please tell Takada to meet me here right away."

"Takada-sama the Event Manager, sir?"

"The one and only."

"Alright."he bows and closes the door from outside. While scanning through the papers carefully, he picks up his phone and dials a contact. He puts the phone on loudspeaker so he can focus reading the tables of numbers. A few rings then the other person picks up the call.

["Hello, Yosuke?"] a woman's voice is heard.

"Chie, sorry just checking in. How is Kenta?"the man whose name's Yosuke asks, eyes still focused on the documents.

["His fever is still high. Maybe I should take a day-off again. I'm worried."] Chie replies with a stuttered voice.

"Hey hey, it's alright. If you think that's best then just take the day-off. Dojima-san will understand."

["I hope so..."] she sighs heavily. ["He's finally asleep now though. I feel bad he has to get sick when we were going to have a vacation."]

"Don't be. It's not your fault. We can just take him to JUNES and enjoy the festivities here."

["Yeah... I guess. JUNES it is then."]

"Plus Yu's gonna be here soon. We can all catch up. Our boy's still going to have fun with all of us. Him and Tatsuya can play around."

["Oh right, when are they coming?"]

"I think it's today though. I'm sure they'll call me like crazy when they arrive."he laughs picturing a group of his old friends, comrades, best friends through thick and thin.

["Haha yeah. I'm surprised Rise can make time to really come here."] there's a shift of movement on her line before she speaks again. ["I'm gonna call the police station now telling them I'm not coming in."]

"Okay. Take care, both of you."

["You too."] . Just as Yosuke pressed the red button his door suddenly bursts opened revealing a surprised-looking slender blonde man.

"Did I hear Chie-chan!?"the blonde-man shouts.

"Teddie what the hell!? You're gonna break that door!"Yosuke yells back, his heart almost flies out of his chest.

"Ohh... sorry."Teddie slowly closes the door with gentleness. "I was walking by and I thought I heard Chie-chan."

"...Yeah I called her just now to check on Kenta."

"Is Kenta-ky still not feeling good?"he slowly gets closer to Yosuke's desk with a slight worried face.

"Teddie, can you not call my son that? I'm starting to regret letting the new fried chicken restaurant opens up downstairs."Yosuke says in a half-joking tone. "And you never stop eating those. I'm not saying it's bad or whatever, it's just not good for your diet to eat them too much."

"Aww, Yosuke cares about me after all."Teddie giggles, flashing his eyelashes in a flirty way.

"Don't make me fire you."

* * *

**Coming soon on CHAPTER 2...**

Distance becomes closure, whatever comes with it.


	3. Chapter 2

Nanako and Sakura step inside the lobby of Amagi Inn, a traditional inn that has been attracting many visitors from outside of town contributing the town's income. It is as what can be expected, very traditional, Japanese architecture. An iconic gate, building mostly made of wood material, a koi fish pond, and hot spring. The owner is a close friend of Yu's, so Nanako and him are getting a significant discount of renting a hall for their wedding reception. Nanako approaches the receptionist wearing a matching yukata with the other staffs that are wandering by.

"Good afternoon. May I help you?"the lady in yukata bows.

"Um yes. We're supposed to see Yukiko-neechan..."

"Oh, are you Nanako Dojima?". Nanako nods. "Very well. I will inform Amagi-sama immediately. Please take a seat."as the waitress goes inside Nanako and Sakura eases themselves on a wooden sofa.

"Isn't it ironic?"leaning a little, Sakura speaks faintly to Nanako.

"Hm? What is?"

"Taking the High Road: Wedding Provided by Ex!"she makes a mime of plastering a TV show title in the air.

"Sakura!"Nanako shouts inwardly, putting her palm down forcefully. "It's not like that anymore. They're friends now."

"Heheh. Sorry, just having fun."

"It's not fun when we're joking about someone who's married that way."

"Yeah, my bad."she sticks her tongue out a bit and enjoys the refreshments a waitress brings them. A few moments later, walking down the stairs is a dignified-looking woman in her kimono. She walks with such elegance, charming aura around her. Seeing her walks toward them, Nanako stands and bows.

"Yukiko-neechan."she greets politely.

"Nanako-chan!"the long black-haired woman hugs Nanako tight. "I've been waiting."she smiles while pulling away. "And this is..."she looks at Sakura.

"Sakura Mizugawa, Nanako's sidekick. Pleasure to meet you Amagi-san."Sakura introduces herself, cheerfully bowing.

"S-sidekick...? Snrk."Yukiko gracefully lifts her palm over her mouth to hold herself together from laughing.

"We're friends, neechan."Nanako rolls her eyes.

"Ohh, that's nice to have a friend coming along. And by the way, congratulations again to you, Nanako-chan! Narukami-kun's true love actually has always been by his side all this time."

"Ohh...thank you so much. I, uh, it came to me as a surprised as well."

"But if you hadn't pushed yourself, he would have never realized it then.". A strange silence suddenly falls between them. Sakura amused herself by watching them both looking down the floor, awkward. "Anyway, why don't we take a look at the hall? I've prepared it."

"Oh, okay sure. Let's go, neechan.". The three of them head down the hall towards the back side of the building which connects to a garden with a small fish pond. Yukiko opens the large sliding door revealing a large traditional hall.

"What do you think? It's our most spacious hall."Yukiko ushers them both inside.

"Woow..."Sakura raises her amazement. "Never thought the inn has a hall this big."

"We didn't. But then a few years ago we decided to build one."she answers then turns to Nanako. "How about you, Nanako-chan? It can fit 200 people here. Not much, but combined with the garden outside,"Yukiko steps outside pointing at the garden separated only by a narrow wooden terrace. "more wouldn't be a problem."she smiles. Nanako follows her surveying between the hall on one side and the garden on the other side.

"It's really nice, neechan."she marvels, her thoughts already skipped time to the day of the wedding. The decorations, guests, food and beverages. And most importantly, Yu and her standing together as husband and wife.

"Nanakooo..."Sakura waves her hand and snaps at Nanako's ears. "Earth to Nanakooo..."whispering spookily, she finally flinches.

"W-what..."she spaces out for a moment before blushing furiously. Sakura and Yukiko share a chuckle knowing full well what was getting to her.

"You know, you're very lucky, Nanako-chan."Yukiko says gently. "Not many girls have the chance to get married in such a young age like you.". Hearing that Nanako stays silent thinking to herself.

"...There are also some who say that a young marriage rarely goes well."Nanako looks down sighing.

"Oh, Nanako-chan,"she holds her shoulders with both hands and looks straight to her eyes. "I understand. I'm married at 25, even then I thought I was still too young. But age itself doesn't really define how well the marriage will last. It's the effort.". Nanako listens carefully. "It's not always gonna be rainbow all the time like we hope. Just like in school. We hate homeworks and classes, but we enjoy hanging out with friends and doing things like culture festival. But it doesn't mean we don't do those homeworks, right? The most important thing is, we need to have patience and understanding of each other.". By the gentleness of Yukiko's voice, Sakura finds herself also listening intently, taking notes in her mind. "Also, trust is very important. Do you trust Narukami-kun?"

"I...I do. I have been ever since."Nanako replies trying to sound confident.

"And I'm sure he trusts you too. He's a great guy, very patient, and very understanding. So, he already has all the important things in him. All that's left is yourself."she pats both shoulders lightly and pulls away. Nanako focuses in taking in everything Yukiko said. The anxiety is still there, but she tries to assure herself.

"You're right, neechan. I should have more faith in Yu-san and myself. Not to mention we have known each other as a family in a very long time."

"Exactly."

"And...I think he's the only one who's 'qualified' according to Dad."Nanako giggles followed by the two of them.

"Oh that's right. Dojima-san sure must have a strict standards to whoever wants to hold your hand. Or even get close to you."

"That's also the very reason why the guys in school are so afraid of making a move too."Sakura adds laughing.

"N-no one's made a move though!"Nanako interjects.

"Of course no one did. They don't want to end up arrested.". They all laugh at Sakura's joke and gradually turn into a light animated conversation while Yukiko and Nanako clear the accommodation details.

;

Yosuke just parked his car not far from the entrance of the train station and sees people crowding the stairs. It is not everyday that the train station's this crowded. When it does, then you can be sure that a holiday is coming up.

"Huh. So much for golden week..."he thinks to himself walking towards the station. "Let's hope all these people and the ones they're waiting for will fill JUNES for the events."there's a smirk on his face for a moment. Typical businessman. A few minutes later an announcement of a coming train echoes through the station. Instead of stepping away, they all push one another to the front eager to be the first ones to greet their relatives, or friends, or family. Two officers have to shout a bit ordering them to stand behind the line. Yosuke only stands by the stairs half-leaning on the wall, both hands inside his pockets. Finally the train arrives with a hissing sound of its brake. When the doors slide open, Yosuke takes a few steps forward, tip-toeing to see beyond the countless heads in front of him. And there he notices a blue-haired woman that stands out from the others.

"Naoto!"he shouts very loud, waving his hands to get her attention. The woman seems to hear someone calling her name, so she looks left and right. Beside her was a very tall man carrying a few travel bags, some hanged over his shoulders, and some in his hands. The first to recognize Yosuke is him.

"Ah, Senpai!"he then guides Naoto toward Yosuke, weeving through the crowd.

"Hey! You two looking good."Yosuke greets them with a wide smile.

"Thanks. You too senpai."the tall man replies with enthusiasm.

"Senpai, it is nice to see you again. And thank you for going through the trouble for picking us up."Naoto says with her masculine voice.

"Nah, no trouble at all, don't mention it. By the way, where's Rise?"

"Naoto! Kanji! Wait!". They suddenly hear a woman shouts from somewhere in the middle of the increasing crowd. "Excuse me, please, coming through!"a woman with wavy hair wearing a chic outfit absent-mindedly slips through the throng of people. She is holding a blue-haired little boy in her arms who is turning his head in every direction. "Phew, finish!"she sighs as she is out, and smiles to Yosuke. "Yosuke-senpai! Hiii!"carefully holding the boy, she walks happily toward them. "Uggh, didn't think it will be THAT crowded here!"she complaints pointing at the crowd.

"Hey Rise. Yeah well, it happens once in a while."

"Are my bags alright?"Rise asks the tall man whose name she shouted as Kanji worriedly surveying the condition of the bags on him.

"They're alright..."Kanji grimaces, rolling his eyes.

"Good then. Oh, Tatsu-kun, say hi to uncle Yosuke."Rise smiles sweetly to the little boy holding his hand as if to shake it with Yosuke's.

"Uhh...hi uncle. Good afte'noon."the boy says with a straight face.

"Hi. Tatsuya isn't it?"Yosuke replies. The boy, Tatsuya, only nods. "How old are you?"

"...Three."

"Three...what?"

"...Three years old."

"Wow, you grow so fast. Your mom and dad must be so proud of you."

"Of course we are!"Kanji winks at him smiling wide.

"Super proud indeed."Naoto pinches his cheek softly with a motherly gaze. Tatsuya looks at Naoto and Kanji back and forth then nods a bit happier.

"And soon you will meet your new friend."Rise says with a chirp voice.

"New friend?"it seems only either with Rise or his parents Tatsuya feels more comfortable speaking to, when he shows an obvious surprised expression.

"Yeah. Your new friend's name is Kenta."

"And both of you are going to be best friends!"Kanji fists his palm excitedly.

"...Okay!"Tatsuya replies cheerfully. Rise snuggles him hard to relieve her overloaded cuteness capacity.

"Well Kanji, I'm starting to feel very sorry for you, so let's head to the inn. Yukiko's waiting."Yosuke snatches the bags on Kanji's hands.

"Woah Senpai, that's alright."startled, Kanji tries to take them back.

"Shhh. Let's go."Yosuke ignores his underling and walks for the parking lot, the three of them follow closely behind.

* * *

**Coming soon on CHAPTER 3...**

At last, all is assembled. But to what end?


End file.
